The Fair and Tea with the Llamas

                                                                       

On Friday and Sunday Rachel and I volunteered to work at the state fair, the Forest Service had a booth set up, where we talked to visitors and handed out brochures. This was a great experience for us both. We worked  four hour shifts then got to walk around the fair, The first night being Friday night the State Fair was PACKED!!! Tons and tons of people everywhere! During the eight day duration of the fair there was an estimated 175,000 people present.

On Saturday we had an event at the cradle involving Llamas!! Basically a local Llama farm brought a few of their rescue llamas into teach us about llamas and then use them as pack animals to travel up the trail (300 feet elevation change) to have tea time. it was a pretty sweet experience, because llamas have pads (like a dog) not hoofs (like a horse) they are allowed on any trail in the Pisgah National Forest. I found this fasinating. we had a really goot turn out, about 100 for the first trip and 60 for the second one. not only that it was good exersice for all of us, seeing as one loop was 2.1 miles we got in about 4.2 miles just with the llamas.

 

 

Update on the Teal Mobile

On a Happy Note, I ment to mention this in my last blog, but the Green Machine is back and still kicking! turns out the check engine light was because of the fuel injector senseor and the fuel injector sensor was because of a faulty gas cap, so the Teal Mobile was trying to tell me he was sick this whole with the ominus orange light! So after the sensor and gas cap were replaced he runs like a dream! Oh and he had a birthday, Big Green reached 88,888 miles! Pretty Sweet!

My Hike in Pink Beds

Last week I want for a hike in Pink Beds Recreation Area, well technically I went to look at the White Faced/ Bald Faced Hornet’s nest. The thing is HUGE!  It is in a well-used Recreation area, however because of its size we cannot safely remove it, it is about 3 feet off the ground, about 1.5 feet across and 2 feet high. We will wait until it freezes a couple of times before we remove it and use it as a display in the Cradle. Along the way I spotted some pretty sweet critters, the yellow caterpillar is an American Dagger Moth Caterpillar; he is a fluffy little guy that’s for sure.  I also saw a 4.5 foot long Black Rat Snake; he was slithering along the forest floor, and then stopped so I could snap a few photos.  

At the Cradle the Volunteers and Interns get together at least once a week for craft time and usually a Pot Luck. The last few weeks we have been quilting, this week we start making teddy bear and bead necklaces, as well as continue to quilt. I am super excited about all the new fun things I am learning how to do, last Saturday after our botched weekly float trip(it started sunny then down poured rain and dropped about 15 degrees, not fun in an intertube!) we headed home to warm up and get some dinner, we ended up spending our Saturday night watching DVDs and quilting, wow we are adventuresome! Another awesome activity I have picked up is mushrooming, or Hunting Mushrooms, I love wandering out in the woods, looking for mushrooms, my latest score, Black Chanterelles, so yummy, a mild apricot smell, delicious in a garlic onion sour cream brandy sauce. Each time I come back with some mushrooms I can’t wait to go back out, this is definitely my new favorite hobby. Its hiking with a bonus. Awesome! The mushroom pictured below is a Fly Agaric it is highly poisonous and should be avoided, but boy is it pretty! Until next time happy hunting!

Good Morning World

  

 

He's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!